Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Shopping for Russian Choppers
I'm not sure what to make of the fact that now that the helicopter-happy phase of the Mérida Initiative is over and American dollars are going toward other goals, Mexico is shopping for Russian aircraft. Is this just an ironic coincidence? A sign that Mexico really did need all those helicopters more than anything else? A kick in the teeth to the US for shifting the focus of the aid money? All of the above?
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2 comments:
I don't think the Mexicans wanted the helicopters so much as the U.S. wanted to sell them. The Mexican military has used Russian and French aircraft for years... they don't come with as many "strings attached" as military purchases from the U.S. (and Russian equipment is cheaper to maintain).
There was also that dustup in the 1990s over the US selling helipopters that Mexico said were in bad shape. I dont remember the episode, but from what I've read about it seems like it was kind of a big deal. With that history it was a bit odd that they went so heavily toward helicopters again.
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